Strong Hands, Gentle Heart
by WhispersOfStarlight
Summary: Just what happened to make Auron want to stop the Final Summoning and for Jecht to agree to become a fayth. This is my take. 'The smallest rock can cause the largest landslide.'


**A.N. Okay, so this is a songfic set to Fix You by Coldplay. I recently renewed my love for Final Fantasy X and I always wondered what happened to make Auron want to stop the Final Summoning from happening and Jecht to give his life as a fayth.**

**This is my take.**

**Warning: Mentions death. (I put the rating at T because of Jecht's potty-mouth.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X, Square Enix does. This is for fun, I am not making any money off of this story.**

**I hope you all like it.**

* * *

As they walked into a clear expanse of the high road, Auron saw Tidus make his way to speak to a Chocobo Rider who was patrolling this area.

'Hmph." _**With the amount of fiends now inhabiting the highroad to keep everyone safe, they expect one single warrior riding a chocobo to protect this area. How foolish.**_

Auron was lost in his thoughts until a small voice caught his attention.

"You're a summoner?"

It was a little girl, about 7 or 8 years old. He quietly watched as Yuna spoke to the girl.

"Yes. My name is Yuna."

The little girl gave her name as well. Calli.

"Nice to meet you, Calli." Yuna said this as she knelt down to be at eye-level with the child.

He shook his head at this. _**We have no time for idle conversation. We must continue on our way.**_

"Yuna, are you going to bring us the calm?"

That question caught the warrior by such surprise that he didn't hear Yuna's response.

But the little girl's shout of of a joyous, "Yay!" meant that Yuna must have said yes.

The girl's mother spoke, "We're looking forward to another Calm, My Lady Summoner."

Yuna replied the only way she could, "I'll do my best."

To which the woman nodded and then turned to face Tidus, Wakka, Kimahri, Lulu, and myself, before speaking again.

"And good luck to your guardians as well."

As they watched the little girl wave goodbye before turning to follow her mother, a distant memory he long thought lost to him floated to the surface of his mind and he grabbed a hold of it tightly to not lose it again. He looked around him and noticed two familiar piles of stone not too far off. He turned and took off into the tall grass towards it.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna asked in concern.

He didn't reply, which of course sent them all following after him.

He stopped and kneeled at the small pile, and just sat there, not speaking. Tidus was the first to speak, as always. "Why are we stopping here, Auron? What's so important about a couple piles of rock?"

Auron shook his head, as he pulled at the weeds surrounding the smaller pile, and righted the stones that had fallen loose from rather poor maintenence.

_**When you try your best, but you don't succeed...**_

"The smallest rock can cause the largest landslide."

Lulu having heard that saying before, understood exactly why they were stopped there.

"These are graves, aren't they, Sir Auron?" Everyone except the Ronso gasped at those words.

_**When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep...**_

He didn't reply, he didn't need to. He just let the memories flood through his senses.

_**Are you going to bring the Calm?**_ That question again floated in his mind.

_**Stuck in reverse.**_

He had only heard that question asked one other time on the Mi'ihen Highroad,

but to Braska instead.

_**Flashback**_

_"So Braska, whats this place called again? Me-han Highroad?"_

_Braska stopped walking, just shook his head and opened his mouth to respond but was stopped as Auron quickly corrected the 'star' blitzball player._

_"Mi'ihen, Jecht. You need to pay more attention to Lord Braska." _

_"Well, excuse me. What was so important about this Mi'ihen guy that they named a road after him?"_

Braska joined the conversation then, "Lord Mi'ihen was the founder of the Crimson Blades, who help to divert Sin from the towns and cities when it gets too close. When the Maesters challenged him, saying that the Blades were a threat to the teaching of Yevon, he chose to walk this road to face them peacefully rather then cause a confrontation."

"So because he did that, they named the road after him? Whoa, it's easier to become famous here than I thought." Jecht replied, to which Auron snorted in disgust, turning away from him.

"Unbelievable. How can you be so focused on selfish endeavors rather than the good of all Spira?"

Jecht chuckled, "That's easy enough to answer, you see, I ain't from around here or did you forget that? Maybe that stick up your ass is messing with your memory?"

Auron rounded on him, word in hand, and fury in his eyes, "How dare you! I have had enough of your childish behavior! No longer, Jecht!"

"You wanna have a go at me, monk?"

Braska looked between the two of them in shock, "My friends, please..."

But before the two guardians could complete their threats, a high-pitched scream caught their attention.

Auron was the first to turn to Braska, "My Lord?"

"Yes, I heard it as well. We must make haste to help whoever is in trouble." The summoner answered.

They turned and ran off in the direction the sound was coming from. Braska rushed forward over the hill to the far left of them.

"Well, are you coming? Or are you just going to stand there like an fool?" Auron shouted over his shoulder to Jecht.

As he ran to catch up, Jecht yelled back, "This doesn't change anything, monk! I'm still beating the hell outta ya after this!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Auron! Jecht! Over there!"

As they finally reached the top of the hill, they could see a small child running from a rather large fiend. The bird-like creature was huge and it looked vicious. They needed to get the child to safety and fast.

Jecht exclaimed in surprise, "What in the hell is that thing!"

Braska shouted in shock, "It's a Zu! We need to rescue the child quickly!"

Auron and Jecht both nodded in agreement and rushed forward in a charge as the bird fiend knocked the child down, pinning her with a clawed foot. The child was in hysterics, tears filling her eyes, and screaming at the top of their lungs.

"HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"

Auron felt a surge of rage at the fiend and slashed at the leg that was on top of the child, causing the creature to shriek in pain and it took a step back freeing the child, not seeing as the middle claw scraped across her small chest.

Auron slashed again causing a deep wound to it's chest, causing it to take another step back.

Seeing that the child was no longer underneath the creature, he shouted, still advancing and slashing at the giant bird to keep it at bay, "Jecht, get the child! Lord Braska, finish it once the child is clear!"

Jecht, knowing they still needed to get the child away from the area, used his training as a blitzball player to dodge to the left as the bird's jaws snapped at him. As the Zu snapped again he dodged this time to the right, scooped the child up in his arms and sprinted away from the fiend as fast as he could, yelling to the summoner.

"Now Braska!"

Braska brought his hands together, raised them to the sky, and brought them down to his sides quickly, causing the torrent of lightening that is Thundaga to crash down upon the creature, effectively killing it and causing it to fall upon the ground in a burst of pyreflies.

Auron sighed in relief as the pyreflies faded away, but it was shortlived as Jecht's voice called out.

"Braska get over here quick! The kid's hurt! It doesn't look good."

Auron turned in shock and ran to where Jecht and Braska were kneeling on the ground, huddled over the small body between them. As he got closer, he got a better look at the child they had saved, he dropped to his knees as his being filled with icy dread. _**No...merciful Yevon, no.**_

The child's chest was covered in crimson liquid and her breathing was labored. He could see Braska fighting to keep himself composed as he applied a mixture of potions and spells to her. The girl was the same age as Miss Yuna.

He looked over at Jecht and was shocked at the look of pain on the man's face. A faint thread of understanding hit Auron then. Jecht had a child too. Tidus.

Jecht gently brushed the straw-colored strands of hair from of her face, gently asking, "Why were ya out here kid? What was so important you just had to be out here?"

Auron placed a hand on the man's shoulder as a raspy voice spoke.

"My mom..s..she loves sun...drops. I al..always take her so..some when I..I visit her."

The men fell silent as they looked at the flowers clutched in her tiny hands, now bloody from her injuries.

Auron locked eyes with Braska and the sadness filling the Lord Summoner's eyes was answer enough.

Braska softly asked, placing a hand over her hands. "What is your name, child?"

"R..rina."

"A very pretty name for such a brave girl. Now Rina, I must know, where are your parents?"

"My mommy and daddy are resting just over there. Am I going to see them again?" She replied, shakily pointing a finger not too far from them.

Auron's eyes close to keep the sting of tears at bay as Braska slowly nodded.

"Yes, Rina, soon you will longer feel this pain."

Jecht's head shot up at this and he looked down quickly and then back up, locking eyes with Braska.

The Summoner shook his head.

She wasn't going to make it.

"Are you a sum-sumner?"

"A summoner. Yes I am Braska. The one across from me is Sir Jecht and the one in the red is Sir Auron." The Lord Summoner pointed to his guardians as he named them for her.

"My mommy told me about you and Calm. Are you going to bring the Calm?"

He nodded once again, tears slowly tracing down his cheeks. "Yes, I am going to defeat Sin and bring the Calm."

_**And the tears come streaming down your face..**_

"T-thats good." A smile graced her pale face as she raised a hand to touch his face as pain made her gasp softly. Braska gently held her hand to his cheek.

All three men kneeled around the little girl, a once bright light, now dim and flickering.

Her eyes softly closed as her hand dropped away.

A light extinguished too soon.

_**When you lose something you can't replace..**_

They looked for a while for the graves that the girl had pointed out, until they came upon a hastily built pile of stones.

Auron gently laid the girl's body down beside it and stepped back, bowing once to the stones and then to the little girl.

He felt a pressure on his shoulder and only nodded once.

Jecht's voice sounded was thick with emotion as he spoke. "Ya know, I think I understand this whole thing now."

_**When you love someone, but it goes to waste...**_

Auron turned to him and was shocked to see wet tracks on the Blitzball player's cheeks.

"Jecht?"

"I wouldn't think any less of you if you did too, ya know?"

_**Could it be worse?**_

The warrior nodded again and moved to speak again but was cut off as the shadow of Braska fell over them.

'I will perform the sending now, my friends. All people of Spira deserve to be at peace."

He raised his hands moving them in the air in an intricate pattern.

_**Lights will guide you home**_

Again and again he repeated the pattern as small orbs of light floated up from her frame. They spiraled around the three men as they slowly watched the mulitcolored lights in awe.

_**And ignite your bones**_

Until she finally faded from sight in a bright burst of pyreflies.

_**And I will try to fix you.**_

_End Flashback_

A small hand comes into his trail of vision placing a bouquet of Sun-drops in front of the smallest pile. "I promise their deaths will not be in vain, Sir Auron. I will bring the Calm."

He nodded at Yuna's words as he slowly stood.

She performed the prayer of Yevon before turning to give him a few moments alone.

"Yeah, we'll make sure its permanent this time, isn't that right Yuna?" Tidus chipped in as he followed her, closely followed by Rikku.

Lulu curtly nodded and dragged a confused Wakka away by the arm.

A large shadow engulfed him as he stood there.

"Must stop Sin. Must stop death. Must bring Calm forever."

With those words, Kimahri turned to follow Yuna and the others.

_**Lights will guide you home**_

Auron just stood there, his eyes closed.

_Are you going to bring the Calm? _The little voice asked again.

_**And ignite your bones**_

"Yes."

He turned and left behind the small pile of stones. Determined to end this cycle once and for all.

_**And I...**_

He did not see the little figure of multi-colored lights appearing above the grave. Her face broke into a wide smile before fading away completely.

_**Will try to fix you.**_


End file.
